LaShayla Wright-Ponder Named First-Team All-Region
JACKSON, Tenn. - University of Tampa women's basketball player LaShayla Wright-Ponder has earned a first-team spot on the 2021-22 D2CCA All-South Region Team. The squad was selected by NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors from institutions and conference offices in the South Region, made up of the Gulf South Conference, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and Sunshine State Conference.
Wright-Ponder, a graduate student from Bloomington, Minn., was also chosen as a first-team all-SSC honoree for the SSC regular season and tournament champions. She also helped the Spartans to a 29-6 overall record, establishing a new program record with 29 victories. The Most Valuable Player of the 2022 SSC Tournament, Wright-Ponder finished the season averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game. She also led all Spartans with eight double-doubles, and eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in her collegiate career.
The 2021-22 D2CCA women's basketball All-America team will be announced on Friday, March 18. The five first-team members from each of the country's eight regions are placed on the national ballot with NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors selecting first, second and third-team All-America honorees. The Ron Lenz Player of the Year will also be chosen from a list comprised of the eight Regional Players of the Year.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.
2022 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA)
Women's Basketball All-South Region Team
First Team
Name School Yr. Hometown
Jaelencia Williams Union University SR Indianapolis, Ind.
Maya Price Eckerd College JR Bury St. Edmunds, England
Kwajelin Farrar Valdosta State University GR Grovetown, Ga.
LaShayla Wright-Ponder University of Tampa GR Bloomington, Minn.
Haley Schubert Lee University SR Knoxville, Tenn.
Second Team
Name School Yr. Hometown
Jaclyn Jarnot University of West Florida SR Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Ashiala Jackson Tuskegee University JR Merrillville, Ind.
Julia Jenike Florida Southern College GR Cincinnati, Ohio
Whitney Jacob Florida Southern College GR Parker, Colo.
Emily Jones Christian Brothers University SO Jackson, Tenn.
D2CCA Women's Basketball South Region Player of the Year: Jaelencia Williams, Union University